Gluttony: Society's Most Acceptable Sin - Part A

The basic idea of gluttony is overindulgence, ensure we can talk about food and that's what our minds go to in the Bible to speak about that but I think we also need to broaden that out of bed and think of overconsumption over consumerism overindulgence in just about anything. I think you might agree that of all the periods of church history. This subject has never been more pertinent that it is now overindulgence has become a hallmark of our modern American culture. Whether it's eating, drinking, or even binge watching the love to indulge ourselves today on connect with Skip high-tech skiff points out how you can battle overindulgence so you can grab a hold of the true satisfaction God has would begin choose a resource that will nourish you spiritually look like God party of the Old Testament shows that the Jewish calendar anchored with regular mandatory holidays and celebrations in the book of Esther says that God variance light and gladness joy and honor at such time sound like your family celebrations.

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I think let's dive into today's teaching in first Corinthians chapter 6, as we begin our study with Skip Heitzig is a great story about DL Moody, the great evangelist from Chicago in the last century. Moody love Charles Spurgeon considered Spurgeon a mentor and hero even though he didn't know him personally followed him from afar and he always wanted to be Charles Spurgeon.

So Moody went over to London knocked on his door. Spurgeon open the door and started open the door with a big cigar hanging out of his mouth which shocked DL Moody and he got stuck back a few steps on the stoop.

Shocked and bewildered and Moody said Spurgeon how can you a man of God do that and Spurgeon was always up for a challenge and he smiled, took the stogie out of his mouth brought down a few steps for Moody was and pointed to deal Moody's rather large rotunda stomach and said the same way that you are a man of God can do that.

It was reported that Spurgeon even said Mr. Mooney all put down my cigars. When you put down her fork. Have you noticed that Christians are quick to judge others on obvious, blatant sins, I would call them cultural sends in some regards there quick to say what you shouldn't smoke you shouldn't drink you shouldn't say those words.

You shouldn't own those things, but they themselves while they say that may be guilty of this very sin of gluttony not venture a guess that you probably never heard a sermon on gluttony in your life. It could be. But II doubt that you have are very, very few have. I've never preached one on this the first time think you must be crazy to even try to tackle the sub you want to make everybody your enemy, and that is certainly not my desire when you hear the word gluttony. I wonder what image comes into your mind will be honest with you the first when I think of gluttony. The first image comes in my mind is from the movie Star Wars, I think of job the hot right that big old soul go.

That is like the personification of gluttony know. Maybe some of your spiritual than I am. No think of Jabba the Hutt you might think to that story in your Bible of the king in Judges 3 call King at one of Moab the Bible says that he was a very fat man is right there in the Bible, King James, all that is is that Ehud from Israel was a left-handed warrior who came to give a message to King everyone and it was 18 inch bladed sword that he kept on the side and he plunged that these that I have a message for you from God to his enemy plunged it into Avalon and it says that Ron was so large that it just consumed the 18 inch blade handling all just the folds of the fact that one around it and say it's winter cool stories in the Bible with your guy, but the Bible does speak about this issue. In Proverbs 23. Solomon probably knew a lot about gluttony said do not mix with wine dippers or gluttonous eaters of meat for both will come to poverty in Ezekiel chapter 16 is a very interesting text regarding the city of Sodom. Most people think of Sodom is being destroyed by God for one particular sin and are quick to bring that out about it says in Ezekiel 16 that the sins of Sodom will try laziness and gluttony. While the poor and the needy suffered outside vendors. This crazy text in Proverbs 23, where Solomon says when you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.

Do not desire his delicacies for their deceptive food of the ideas and go sit down and slit your throat the idea graphically put in poetic language is don't allow yourself to be controlled by a meal even if it's a really great meal from a really great King. The basic idea of gluttony is overindulgence and sure we can talk about food and that's what our minds go to in the Bible to speak about that but I think we also need to broaden that out of bed and think of overconsumption over consumerism overindulgence in just about anything.

I think you might agree that of all the periods of church history this subject has never been more pertinent than it is now. I read an article by Joel McKeever, a passerine author the article grabbed my attention was called five reasons pastors don't preach on gluttony prior to read that five reasons why pastors don't preach about me I before even read the article I know why they don't keep their job. But I was one of the reasons he gave five reasons as in Christianity.com but afterwards he gives three reasons why they should preach on gluttony number one. He says his health, I'm quoting him. He said obesity is the scourge of our times is the black plague of the 21st-century.

Look at an old video clip of city life in the 1940s, and how some people were then stand in the mall and look at your neighbors services. Health is the first reason.

Second, he says in Scripture. First Corinthians 1031 tells us whatever you eat or drink and whatever you do, do all to the glory of God and the third reason McKeever says preachers should preach on it is for godliness sake part of godliness. He argues with self-control and that is part of the fruit of the spirit as we'll see in Galatians 5 that we live in this culture we live in the society and what you should know is that our society is now beginning to adjust for this lifestyle change the sort of gluttonous behavior.

Airlines are redesigning and reconfiguring their airplanes to accommodate larger size patrons. Hospitals are adding space just to handle the multiple diseases that are stemming from this lifestyle not having said that, and it's interesting how quiet we got at this last few moments.

You could almost hear a pin drop of we had a hard floor at the same time I need to say this, we have to be very very careful here not to judge a person based upon outward appearance based upon body type. We do not see the heart. Only God sees the heart and its long `sinful to judge the inside of a person based on the outside of a person we don't know the conditions that exist different people at different metabolisms. Different people have different genetic makeups and there are certain medical reasons why a person can gain weight. Even Jesus was accused of being a glutton which was untrue, but I've had to turn to first Corinthians chapter 6, because I want to look at this through a very particular lens of two verses first Corinthians chapter 6, beginning in verse 19, or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own, for you are bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's in view of this very negative topic.

I want to give you for positive true for affirming truths about your body and essentially what Paul gives us in these two verses could be seen as a mini theology of the human body is called the apostles theology of your body.

First of all, your body is a holy place. Notice he says do you not know verse 19 that your body is the temple three times in first and second Corinthians. The apostle Paul regards the individual Christians body as the temple of God. Once in Ephesians, he talks about all of the members. All of the people. The corporate body of Christ as God's temple, but three times in first and second Corinthians is referring to the individual Christian as the temple. So Paul is speaking here about the physical human body and what he is dealing with is a culture that was existing in Corinth at the time that was the culture of pleasure sort of want you to do is notice something were to look at context hear what you go back to verse 12 pulses, all things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. This because I can do anything they're not right. I shouldn't do all things, all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any American to be addicted to anything foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both you and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord and the Lord for the body and God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ. So I then take the members of Christ and make them members of the harlot, certainly not or do you not know that he is joined to a harlot is one body with her for the two he says shall become one flesh, but he was joined to the Lord is one spirit with him flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he will commit sexual immorality sins against his own body or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you when you have from God, and you are not your own for you about a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God the first 13 was a slogan spoken by people who lived in court what you notice what was it says foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods. People are saying that all over the streets of Corinth. I was up modern common slogan in Corinth 2000 years ago and what it meant was this food is a necessity, but it's also a pleasure for that matter so is sex. It's a necessity for procreation.

But it's also very pleasurable. So they use this little slogan to justify their excessive behavior usage justified gluttony, sexual immorality, drunkenness was a lifestyle of hedonism.

It's all about getting pleasure for my body. So Paul says that may be true that food insects are both necessities as well as a pleasure but what you need to know your body serves a higher purpose than just your pleasure. It is God's place. It's a holy place. So get this. You have a body but you are not just your body. Your body and spirit.

Paul says that in verse 20 that you should glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God. So you have the spirit that you also have a body in the body is the means by which your spirit communicates to others around you want to share your feelings, your inmost thoughts how you process things your values that comes through the medium of your physical body. All because of the temple, something that would be familiar with because in Corinth there were many temples in the Corinth and I've seen the ruins of the temples to Aphrodite and Apollo and Scott Diaz and others that if they were Jewish in their background. Some of them were, they would automatically think that there was also a temple in Jerusalem to the true and living God never has special meaning to them because I temple was a place of worship temple was a place of prayer temple was a place of sacrifice celebration temples were built in cities to remind the inhabitants of that city that God had a plan and a purpose for their life when he says your body is a temple very significant. So these temples were built, but there were also kept clean and or they would build the temple.

It would just let it go off on its own.

It would maintain and clean the temple even in Jerusalem. If you remember are not holding accountable to remember this small detail, but back in first Chronicles chapter 23. After Solomon built the temple. It says that he employed 38,000 people, 38,000 man Levites to help Patrice with her daily responsibilities and 24,000 of them were to look after the work of the house of the Lord as they were to maintain the temple clean the temple, make sure was just right and then we even say that Jesus Christ in his ministry we call a cleansed the temple of neighborhood that terminology. I did mediate a sponge and a bucket is out there claiming the supplement that he took the lip and he drove out the temples were buying and selling in the temple courts.

He cleansed the temple.

Likewise, when we view our body as a temple we are raising the viewpoint of our life where it raises life to a higher plane because now I see my body, not just as a tent, though it is temporary. I don't see my body is a tenement I don't see my body as a trashcan. I see my body is a temple for your body is a holy place. Second, affirming truth second positive truth about your body body is a holy place, but your body is has a holy person that that's what makes it a holy place to see what he said your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you and who you have from God. In ancient pagan temples. There was the belief among the pagans that the God our God, is that they worship at the temple was housed in the temple so they would put up an idle statute may actually believe that the god or goddess inhabited that likeness that idle that was represented though this was far different from Jerusalem was early statue in the temple in Jerusalem and a picture of God have any pictures of daughter statues were this many zero because of the second commandment they could make statues they could make images of God who believes all over the God was present there. They called at the club called the holy presence of God in the temple, but they knew that the that the power of God in the mind of God does not dwell in temples. Solomon said and Stephen repeats in the New Testament, for the most high does not dwell in temples made with hands. He does however dwell in this temple.

The physical body of the Christian. He takes up residence in your body. Jesus Christ said in John 14. Speaking of the Holy Spirit. The spirit of truth dwells with you and he will be in you, so your body is a holy place because your body houses a holy person the Holy Spirit. The third person of the triune God. What is that mean to you practically what it should mean is that you want to see your body as the base of operations from which the Holy Spirit works in the lives of people around just as Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum and made Capernaum, the headquarters for 3 1/2 years of his earthly ministry.

Start looking at your body is HS HQ Holy Spirit's headquarters right now in my physical body.

He is taking up residence in me.

So Jesus wanted to when you so the Holy Spirit can dwell in you as part of his redemptive plan is not just to save you is to save you and any use you by planting his Holy Spirit in you as the base of operation so my body as a temple should be used to worship and serve the true and living God hold that thought. When Paul writes his letter to the Philippians, which we covered in depth on Sunday mornings. Not too long ago he he set a strange phrase in chapter 3. He spoke about those whose God is there belly that weird phrase whose God is there belly article hallelujah Billy I praise you to sounds weird but listen to the whole sentence whose God is their belly and who set their mind on earthly things. In other words, they worship their appetites are controlled by their appetites. They don't control their appetites appetites control them and they just serve the applicant to the means by their God is there belly? Why do people become gluttons to use the Bible term I want to be careful here because I am not a doctor I'm not a psychiatrist I'm not a psychologist. There are variety of reasons that people have food issues but let me give you one of the most fundamental reasons why a person would resort to gluttony is because so many people have a flawed view.

The primary view of humanity is flawed and that is most people. Many people in this world there primary view of humanity as I exist here for my pleasure. Life is about my personal pleasure, which by the way was the unsaved Corinthian's view of life as a whole, Greek school of thought called Epicureanism and Epicurus and his followers the Epicureans believe that life's sole purpose was for enjoyment, sensual enjoyment joint food enjoying drink enjoying all those things in excess is much as you want as long as it brings you pleasure. No many times. Gluttony is the result of trying to cover up some emotional scar gluttony is often regarded as an emotional cry for help as author Peter DeVries writes gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign that something is eating us that Skip the message from the series white colors. Now you Skip to share how you can keep these teachers coming to you while connecting others to. Here's an important truth.

God doesn't need us to accomplish his work in the world but he desires to use us and bring us into his plan. That's why we share these Bible teachings on this broadcast.

So friends like you can be equipped in your faith. As the Lord works through you and right now you're invited to help strengthen others faith by connecting them to God's word. Here's how we should connectwithskip.com/donate to give a gift that's connected with skip.com/domain: 800-922-1880 800-922-1880 thank you for your generosity and come back tomorrow. Skip to share some life-changing reasons for taking care of your body, not just for physical health for spiritual impact, because God gave his son why you therefore our responsibility glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are so Skip presentation of connection communications to go through ever-changing time